Sections 01 and 02
Instructor: Erin Washburn, Ph.D. Class Time: Tuesday, 4:25 – 7:00
Office:
Phone:
AB – 230B
777-5324 (O), 979-324-2381 (C)
Meeting Place:
Office Hours:
AB-124
3:00 – 4:10, T & by appointment
E-Mail: washburn@binghamton.edu
Description : This course is designed to assist content area teachers in developing a full picture of adolescent literacy and understanding the literacy demands of content area courses. Teachers will learn about theoretical models of adolescent development and the role of literacy in learning in the 21st century. Teachers will study classroom practices that help diverse students connect new information to prior knowledge, use knowledge of vocabulary and text structure to support comprehension, use writing to deepen understanding of and communication about their content, and use multiple forms of literacy to enhance learning. Teachers will design and prepare materials to use in their own subject area. Field work is required as per the syllabus.
Classroom Environment: The Graduate School of Education is committed to serving all enrolled students in a respectful and intellectually stimulating atmosphere. In return, it is expected that each of you will honor and respect the opinions and feelings of your fellow students. If you have concerns that this atmosphere is not being upheld, please contact me immediately.
Electronic Devices : In keeping with a respectful class environment, please turn off all electronic devices during class time, unless you have explicit permission. If you have urgent circumstances, please talk with me before class.
Accommodations: Any student with a disability who wants to request accommodations should notify each course instructor by the second class meeting. You are also encouraged to contact the
Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 777-2686. Their office is at UU-119.
The SSD office makes formal recommendations regarding necessary and appropriate accommodations based on an individual's specifically diagnosed disability. SSD, faculty, and staff are required to treat Information about a student's disability as confidential.
Writing Support: If you have difficulty communicating your thoughts in writing, please make a point of using the campus Writing Center before your first paper is due. (If your letter of acceptance advised you to get support from the Writing Center, this is required .) Writing support is most effective if you make appointments with the same tutor throughout the semester. Please go to: http://www2.binghamton.edu/writing/writing-center/wc-faq.html

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Academic Honesty: Binghamton University provides explicit guidelines in the Student
Academic Honesty Code (see the University Bulletin - Academic Policies and Procedures for All
Students ). Unless specified otherwise in the syllabus, I expect the work you submit for grading to be yours and yours alone. Not acknowledging another's work with proper references, taking credit for someone else's work, letting your work appear in another student's paper, or fabricating
"results" are grounds for failing the assignment and/or the course. The Academic Honesty Code specifically prohibits "Submitting substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once, unless there is prior explicit consent of the instructor(s) to whom the material is being or has been submitted." If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating, please ask me. The following link describes the GSE Academic Honesty Policy: http://www2.binghamton.edu/grad-school/manual/index.html#Academic_Honesty
Student Grievances: The Graduate School of Education outlines procedures if you have a grievance about a course grade. The first step is to contact the instructor to discuss your concerns. If you have any questions or concerns about how I have graded your work, please arrange to meet with me.
Edmodo & Technology: Course handouts, power points, and links to course videos are posted on Edmodo for downloading & printing. To become a member of Edmodo, go to www.edmodo.com
, click on “I’m a student” and type in the Edmodo code: uuc7ee and enter other information. From there you can view class documents, see class PowerPoints, and view other helpful materials for the class.
Required Texts: (in bookstore)
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). Improving adolescent literacy: Content area strategies at work
(3 rd
ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Daniels, H., Zemelman, S., & Steineke, N. (2007). Content-Area Writing, Every Teacher’s
Guide . Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann
Various articles/book chapters posted on Edmodo.
Course Goals:
1.
Students will become aware of the multiple literacies of adolescents and discover how much can be learned from careful observation of adolescent learners. Students will also become aware of how student diversity (cultural, linguistic, learning styles) affects literacy and learning, and how teachers can respond positively to this diversity. Students will also explore the connections between multiple literacies and critical literacies.
2.
Students will learn about and observe the kinds of literacy tasks used in content area classrooms.
3.
Students will learn how to create materials to assist students with classroom literacy tasks. They will also learn how these materials can be embedded in content area lessons and units.
4.
Students will learn how to evaluate textual and web-based content area materials and how to assess student literacy abilities and knowledge levels.
5.
Students will be reflective learners, aware of the connections they are making across class tasks and materials and between course learning and their own knowledge and experiences.

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Course Expectations:
During the first class we will discuss your expectations of this course and of me. My expectations of you are as follows:
1.
Attendance and participation in class discussions have a significant influence on final grades. Please call or email me before class and let me know if you are unable to attend, since this may affect group work or discussion.
2.
Assignments are expected to be submitted/presented on time. If a problem occurs that will prevent you from turning in an assignment on time, just understand that you will lose point(s) for late work (see late work policy).
3.
Assignments that are not completed satisfactorily may be marked “Redo” with the expectation that you will revise your work after discussion with me.
4.
Students are expected to maintain high levels of academic standards. Unethical behaviors such as plagiarism will result in severe penalties.
5.
APA format will be used for all in text citations and reference citations. See the following website for APA formatting: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Field Work: During the first semester of the MAT program, students must complete 35 hours of field work in school setting. At the placement, you will be expected to spend at least 15 hours in a classroom observing lessons and assisting the teacher and students. The remaining time will be spent with students in small groups or in one-on-one tutoring sessions.
You will be placed through the Liberty Partnership at Owego High School, Binghamton High
School or Windsor High School. In class, you will fill out an application for the Liberty
Partnership which I will give to Heather Crandall (contact information listed below), who assists with the coordination of placements. By September 20th, you should schedule a time to meet with Heather individually to further discuss the placement opportunities, your availability, and the activities you will be expected to complete. Based on the information you provide, Heather will determine an appropriate placement at one of the schools.
You may be working in a classroom, with students during study halls, or in one of the after school academic assistance programs. By working at the high school you will be satisfying the requirement that some of your internship experience must be in a high needs school. At each school, Liberty Partnership will keep a record of your field work hours (you will sign in each time you work) but you will also be required to keep a log for this class. In this class, you will have one assignment (Classroom Observation Notes) that will be linked to your field work.
See page 5 of the syllabus for the specifics of that assignment. 15 of the 35 hours also meet the fieldwork requirements for SPED 500: Special Education for Content Area Teachers IF you are enrolled in that course this semester.
Heather Crandall, Liberty Partnership, hcrandal@binghamton.edu
, 607-777-2468
Her office Located on the First Floor of Academic Building B (across from the Jazzman’s kiosk)
If you are not in the MAT program and do not have to meet the 35 hour field placement for this course, please see me about alternatives to the fieldwork and classroom observation notes.

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Assignments:
Tickets-In-the-Door –A “Ticket-In-the-Door” is a strategy used to quickly assess student learning. To assess your knowledge and understanding of the assigned reading(s) you will be given a “Ticket-In-the-Door” on five different occasions throughout the semester. This will happen at the beginning of class time and the exact dates of the events will not be announced
(AKA, it’s like a pop quiz). It is recommended that you take notes during your assigned readings, because you may use your notes on the Tickets-In-the-Door .
Strategy-teach
– Over the course of the semester evidence-based strategies and activities will be presented and/or read about in your assigned reading and discussed. Your group will demonstrate the assigned strategy (see the course schedule for these assigned strategies) and use it to activate/assess your peers’ knowledge of the assigned readings. Your group will be required to use a “newer” form of technology to compliment your demonstration ( some are suggested below ):

Animoto; Prezi; Fakebook; PhotoPeach, Slideroll; Wall Wisher; Glogster

Windows Movie Maker, Camtasia (30 day free download), or Photostory
In addition to the class strategy-teach; you will need to create a one-page summary for your fellow classmates that includes the following information:

Title of the strategy and technology used in the demonstration.

Describe the purpose of the strategy.

List and describe at least 3 pros and 3 cons of the strategy.

List and describe at least 3 attributes and 3 constraints of the technology used in the demonstration.

Offer concrete suggestions as to how the strategy can be used and/or adapted to help an adolescent student who is struggling with reading and/or writing.

APA Citation of where you can find the strategy for later use (i.e., the text citation or website citation).
Here are the strategies:

Word (structural analysis) and concept sorts

Anticipatory Activities (e.g., Anticipation Guides, KWL)

Reading guides

Questioning Strategies (e.g., QAR, Question the Author, ReQuest)

Quick Writes

RAFT
Research Paper – As a Master’s student you will need to be able to locate, review, analyze and synthesize pertinent research in the content area in which you are or will be teaching. In this assignment, you will be required to read 3-4 recent research articles ( from peer reviewed articles ) that pertain to integrating literacy (reading, writing, vocabulary, motivation/engagement, etc.) in your content area. You will analyze and synthesize what you have learned in a 3-4 page paper. It is expected that you will discuss themes that emerge from your review. You will also need to include a section discussing how the information you have

5 learned from the articles will help enhance and/or change how you teach or will teach in your content area. You may integrate information learned from class readings, but the class readings will not count as one of the 3-4 required articles. You must use APA formatting and style. See the following website for APA formatting and style guidelines and examples: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Some Helpful Information for your research paper:
 BU’s library website
: www.library.binghamton.edu
;
 The Graduate School of Education’s library liaison
: Ben Andrus - bandrus@binghamton.edu

Education Databases : JSTOR, EBSCO, ERIC, Academic Search Complete, Wilson

Literacy Related Journals : The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent and Adult
Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly, Reading Psychology

Content Specific Journals : Social Education (NCSS), Middle Level Learning (NCSS),
Science Scope (NSTA), The Science Teacher (NSTA), Language Arts (NCTE), Voices from the Middle (NCTE), Mathematics Teacher (NCTM), Mathematics Teaching in the
Middle School (NCTM), Foreign Language Annals (ACTFL)
Text Complexity Analysis, Adaptation and Supplementation
– this is an individual activity that will be done during class time and then as homework (if need-be). You will analyze (both quantitatively and qualitatively) a text from your content area for text complexity. You will also will adapt a portion of text for striving readers and create a short text-set that contains 3 additional texts on the same topic. Note: You are responsible for securing a content textbook, trade book, or novel for this assignment.
Classroom Observation Notes/ Critical Analysis Paper – For 5 of the 15 observations hours, you will be asked to develop an awareness of how literacy is used as a tool for learning in content area classes and how teachers guide and motivate students to use literacy skills. You will use the Literacy Observation Form to keep track of your observations. You will then use this form to help you write a reflection paper (3-4 pages maximum) in which you summarize and critically analyze the ways in which you saw literacy being used in the classroom. In the critical analysis paper, you will need to demonstrate critical thinking about the observed literacy practices and offer any constructive ways in which you feel literacy could be enhanced. The
Literacy Observation Form can be found on Edmodo under the “assignments” folder.
Mini-Unit - You will develop a “mini-unit” showing how you would embed literacy strategies into your content area. You will collaborate with up to three other students in your content area on this assignment. This unit will be developed over the weeks of the class with specific sections due over time (during mini-unit “check-ins”). Your group will first create a Curriculum Map for the mini-unit and then use your Curriculum Map to create Mini-Unit lessons. You will need to include 3 lesson plans in your Mini-Unit (using the lesson plan format provided for you). You will turn in the finalized Curriculum Map and lesson plans at the end of the semester. On the last day of class, December 10 th
, your group will share your Mini-Unit with the class in a Round

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Table format. To help in the planning process a rubric will be provided. The rubric and
Curriculum Map can be found on Edmodo under the “assignments” folder.
Absence Policy: To remain fair to all individuals enrolled and involved in the class there will be points taken off for missed classes, unless your absence is a university accepted excused absence.

2 points will be taken off of your final grade for each absence (up to two unexcused absences)

For three unexcused absences, your final grade will be dropped one full letter grade.
Late Work Policy: To remain fair to all individuals enrolled and involved in the class there will be points taken off for late work. No late work will be accepted after 2 weeks.

2 points will be taken off for work turned in after due date (up to one week late)

4 points will be taken off for work turned in after one week late
Grades: Your involvement and production of professional work as a result of the following
activities will determine your final grade in the course. No curve will be given and no extra points will be added at the end of the semester.
Grade Scale: 95-100 A, 90-94 A-, 86-89 B+, 83-85 B, 80-82 B-, 76-79 C+, 73-75 C, 70-72 C-
69 & below F
My Grade Assignment
Tickets-In-the-
Door
Points Possible
15 points
Strategy-teach 15 points
Due Date
In class
In class – due as assigned
Sept. 24 th
Literacy in the
Content Areas
Research Paper
20 points
Text
Complexity
Analysis,
Adaption &
Supplementation
10 points
Classroom
Observations &
Critical Analysis
Paper
Mini-Unit
10 points
30 points
(Curriculum Map must be included in the final product.)
Oct. 15 th
Dec. 3 rd
Dec. 10 th
Check-In #1 – 10/8:
Mini-Unit Chosen
Curriculum Map
Topic for the
Check-In #2 – 11/12: Evidence of
Check-In #3 – 12/3: Evidence of
Lesson Planning